Guideway or passage for machinegun ammunition belts



GUIDEWAY .OR PASSAGE FOR MACHINE GUN AMMUNITION BELTS L A m U C W A B Al P Filed Marsh 3.5, 194i) g A In a Patented wee. l, i942 orlmnwar onour AGE FOR MACWE- l DON BMITS Percy .lohn lBawoutt, Yardley,Birmingham, and

Geoflrey Charles Brentnall, Erdington, Birmingham, England, asslgnors toDunlop Rubber Company Limited, London, England, a British companyApplication March 15, 1940, Serial No. 324,062

in Great Britain .lanuary 31, 1939 6 Claims.

This invention comprises certain improvements in or relating to guidesor shoots for machine-gun ammunition belts particularly for use withmachine guns on aircraft.

A convenient known type of ammunition guide comprises two channel shapedstrips which are spaced'apart with their open sides facing each other.Owing to the relative positions of the ammunition storage box and thegun it is often necessary for the shoots or guides to be bent or twistedboth in a longitudinal and transverse plane; it must be ensured thatthese bends or the hire do not interfere with the free sliding action ofthe ammunition as it passes through the guideway.

The present invention has forits object to provide an ammunition shootor guide which is simple and cheap to construct and which fulfills theabove requirements.

According to the present-invention, the. ammunition guide or shootcomprises two channel section guide members which are fixed together,.

extrusion of a thermoplastic substancethrough suitable dies, and theseguide members are subsequently bent to the desired curvature under heatand pressure. This shaping may be carried out by a moulding operation orby simply heat-- ing the shaped strips or members and then bending sameto the desired shape before or after union with the rigid cross members.

Each guide member is of channel shapein cross section, and a pair ofguides are fixed together so that their open sides 3 face each other.The free longitudinal edges. of each guide member have a narrow intumedflange or ledge t provided thereon, and these ledges form the actualsupporting surfaces for the ammunition passing through the guidepassage. The narrow ledges provide adequate support for the ammunitionwhilst friction is reduced to a The narrow ledges are also preferablysuitably treated with graphite or other similar lubricating material,and this further enhances the free sliding action of the ammunition asit passes through the guide.

The cross sectional shapes of the two guide members may be the same ordiderent; in the latter case the shapes preferably are such as toenclose conveniently the respective sides of the fore, be moulded, bentor otherwise formed to v shape and at the same time or afterwardsconnected together to form a structure which is of belt of ammunitionbeing carried. The lower limb or fiange of each channel, to which themetal cross strips 2 are attached, may be thicker than the other flange,and may have a flat face shaped to provide narrow supporting ledges orsurfaces for the ammunition, thus reducing friction to a minimum. Theseledges or surfaces may be treated with graphite or like lubricatingmaterial.

In order that the invention may be more clearly imderstood and readilycarried into efiect, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing inwhich Fig. l. is a perspective view of a portion of an amunition shootor guide constructed according to this invention, and

Fig. 2 is a cross section through the cross pieces hereinafter referredto.

according to a convenient embodiment of the invention, a guideway orshoot for ammunition imlts for machine guns on aircraft comprises a pairof guide members i, formed of hard rubber, which are spaced apart inparallel relationship by brass or other metal cross strips 2 secured tosaid guide members at suitable intervals throughout the length of theguide.

beneath the inturned ledge to fit against the fist centre portion of theconnecting strips.

Each connecting strip 2 is formed from flat sheet brass or othersuitable material capable of being bonded to rubber or other material ofwhich the guide members are constructed; in one method the ends of eachstrip may be bent to lie against two or more adjacent sides of eachchannel member i. The strips are then bonded to\ the guides, and a patchor thin covering of rubber 5 or the like may be externally applied toconceal and/ or strengthen the Joint.

The spacing members may be fixed to the channel guide members in anyother convenient manner; for instance the ends of the strips 2 may belet into grooves or recesses in the guide channels i and united theretoby the application of heat and pressure. The spacing strips may beperforated, roughened or otherwise treated to facilitate the adhesion ofthe guide members thereto. Alternatively, the guide channels may havescrewed pins, rivets or the like embedded The guide members II arepreferably formed by it therein or fixed thereto and adapted to engagehoieg in the specing strips and to be secured by nuts, riveting over orother means.

What we claim is:

1. A guide for machine gum ammunition comprising e, pair of extrudedthermoplastic channels zontai planes and open toward each other andhaving narrow ledges on the inner surfaces of said dances to support theammunition and cross pieces arranged at spaced intervals throughout thelength of the guide and secured to the lower flanges below the openingsbetween said i. A guide for machine gun unition comprising a pair ofchnnnel section guide in in snnced relation with their open sidw facingeach other end crow members at wooed intervcls throughout the length ofthe guide spanning the Space between acid memheru end extending beneatha side ioce oi each guide member and upwardly on the connecting web ofsaid channel.

5. A guide for machine gun ammunition comprising c pair of extrudedthermoplastic channels with their open aides facing each other, metclconnecting pieces bonded to said channels it} at speced intervalsthroughout the length oi said guide and in thin covering of said plasticmeteric-I covering the joints between the channels and the metalconnecting pieces and bonded to said metal connecting Pieces and to saidchannels.

6. .i guide for machine gun ammunition comn pcir of extrudedthermoplastic channels with their open sides facing each other, saidchannels having transverse grooves at spaced intervals lengthwise of midguide and metal coni-i no we pieces Joining said en fitting in acidgrooves and bonded therein to saidchennels.

